


Finals

by theartificem



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, the one where max kate and warren are roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 20:58:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4579848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartificem/pseuds/theartificem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“C’mon dude, don’t be a dick. I saw it first.”</p>
<p>Max almost gave in because this is her fucking crush in front of her. Chloe may look like an actual angel who fell from heaven but she just really wants her ice cream and there’s no way in hell she’s going to give it to Chloe.</p>
<p>or the "THIS IS THE LAST FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM IN THIS CONVENIENCE STORE THERE IS NO WAY IM LETTING YOU HAVE IT" prompt</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finals

**Author's Note:**

> i told myself that it was only a matter of time before i wrote a fic for these two losers
> 
> Update 05/06/16: the amazing UtsukushiiAkumu translated this fic to czech which you can read here: http://utsukushii-akumu.blog.cz/1606/finals

Max is fucking tired.

It's the last day of finals and after five days of not sleeping, 12 pitchers of coffee, four papers, and 10 packs of film, she can safely say that she has passed this term.

Max trudges back to the apartment that she shares with Kate and Warren, she had just submitted her portfolio and she's pretty pleased with it, she worked on it for the whole term. Yeah it almost cost her all her savings for the film (moments like these Max wonders if she should just go digital) but it was worth it in the end. Her professor called her style unique and a refreshing change in the photography industry and Max almost broke down in front of him.

_This calls for some celebratory ice cream._ Max thinks as she pushes the door to their apartment open. She sees Kate in the living room, working on some illustrations.

"Hey Kate," Max greets her as she closes the door behind her.

"Hi Max," Kate doesn’t look up from what she’s doing. "How’d it go? Did you pass your portfolio?"

"Yup! It went great actually, I’m so glad this term is finally over." Max slowly walks to the direction of the kitchen. Her body is telling her to sleep because being up for five days can probably kill you, but right now she just really wants her vanilla ice cream. Max opens the freezer, her face scrunches up as she realizes that aside from ice, frozen meat, and Warren’s weird experiment, her ice cream is nowhere to be found.

"Kate?" Max shouts in the direction of the living room. "Have you seen my ice cream?"

She hears some shuffling and footsteps. Kate appears in the doorway of the kitchen. "I told him not to eat it."

Max’s eyebrows furrow together "Huh?"

"Warren ate it a while ago. I told him not to but he said he'll replace it when he gets back from his board game night.” Kate explains with a shrug.

Max sighs loudly. Knowing Warren, he probably won’t be back until morning. She closes the freezer door and makes her way back to the living room, Kate following behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"To the 7-eleven next block. Do you want to come?"

"No thanks, I have to finish this." Kate sits down in the sofa. "But get me some coffee. We’re all out."

Max nods and makes her way out. She makes a mental note to eat Warren's chips when she gets back.

\\\

The store is surprisingly empty when Max makes her way inside. She checks her watch, it’s just a bit after 7pm. Usually at this time it’s packed with students buying dinner. And by dinner she means cup ramen, microwavable burritos, and beer.

_Everyone must be out celebrating the last day of finals._ Dana had invited her and Kate to a party at their sorority but they both declined. Kate reasoned that she had to finish her illustrations but Max knew that Kate just really hates parties. Max almost said yes when Dana slyly informed her that her crush might be there, in the end she just said that she’ll stay home so that Kate won’t be alone.

Max makes her way to the freezers and looks for her ice cream. She looks for her plain vanilla and frowns when she can’t find it. She opens the freezer and bends down, rummaging through gallons of rocky roads and cookies and creams. Her eyes light up when she sees a gallon of vanilla hidden at the very bottom. Max grabs the can and closes the lid of the freezer. She’s about to go to the cashier when she hears voice behind her.

“Dude that’s mine.”

Max turns around and her eyes goes wide. Standing in front of her is none other than Chloe Price, actual blue-haired goddess who can kick ass in a skateboard and is secretly a science-nerd. Max knows all these because she may have a crush on Chloe. She tries to be subtle about it but every time she sees Chloe she just couldn’t help but stare, like seriously, she’s so beautiful should be illegal. Warren and Kate think it’s funny, he would constantly tease her about ‘her boner for Chloe’ and Kate would give her a nudge and tell her to ‘just talk to her’. Like it’s easy. Chloe is a cool kid, she hangs out with the skaters like Justin and Trevor, and Max is a nerd. Chloe would never talk to her.

Until now.

Max realizes she’s been staring at Chloe because she smirks at her, making Max blush. Max shakes her head and glares at Chloe.

“Excuse me? What do you mean this is yours?”

Chloe crosses her arms and Max’s eyes drift to her arm that’s covered in tattoos. _Jesus, she’s’ so hot._

“That’s my ice cream. I got first dibs on that.”

“Uhh, I found it first so, no?”

“Check the bottom.”

Max glares at her one more time and flips the ice cream. There written at the bottom in a sharpie is _CHLOE._

“What the fuck?” Max looks back at Chloe, eyebrows raised.

Chloe sighs and rolls her eyes. “I was gonna buy that ice cream earlier but I didn’t have money. So I wrote my name and hid it in the bottom so no one would get it.”

“And you think writing your name would stop people from buying it?”

“Hey it seemed like a good idea at that time!”

Chloe reaches for the ice cream but Max holds it away from her. Chloe glares at her.

“C’mon dude, don’t be a dick. I saw it first.”

Max almost gave in because this is her fucking crush in front of her. Chloe may look like an actual angel who fell from heaven but she just really wants her ice cream and there’s no way in hell she’s going to give it to Chloe.

“Listen, _Chloe,_ writing your name doesn’t mean you own this ice cream. Go buy the rocky road or something.” Max says arm still raised to keep the ice cream away from Chloe.

Chloe suddenly takes a step forward and Max automatically steps back, her hip hitting the freezer behind her. The temperature around her suddenly drops down a hundred degrees when she realizes how close Chloe is. She’s so close the Max could smell her, she smells like cigarettes and weed and somehow Max isn’t surprised.

“But I don’t want the rocky road. I want vanilla. “Chloe says in a low voice. _Oh my lord._ Max should not be finding this hot. Chloe looks at her and pouts at her, making Max’s heart flutter. Max tears her eyes away from Chloe and takes a deep breath. She does the only logical thing she could think of.

She runs.

Max runs as fast as her legs could take her. She hears Chloe shout “What the fuck?!” behind her, making Max run faster. She runs around the aisles, trying to lose Chloe who keeps on shouting profanities behind her. She stops when she reaches a dead end by the beers. Max leans on the wall, her hand clutching her chest as she catches her breath. She looks around. Chloe is nowhere to be found. Max slowly makes her way to the cashier, her eyes surveying her surroundings for Chloe. She’s almost to the cashier when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her and she’s being lifted from the ground.

“Got you now, hippie!” She hears Chloe say behind her.

Max squirms as she tries to break free, her heart pounding and one hand holding tightly on the ice cream. She’s thankful that Chloe can’t see her face because she must be red as a fucking tomato right now.

“Chloe! Let. Me. Go!” Max says in between breaths, she feels Chloe’s arms around her tighten and Max is sure that her heart just jumped out of her chest.

“Ugh, quit squirming!” Chloe says, arms still locked around her. “Just give me the fucking ice cream!”

“No!” Max clutches the ice cream in her chest and almost kicks Chloe in the knee. They probably look like a couple of lunatics and they would probably get banned from this store but Chloe can go to hell if she thinks that Max is going to give up _her_ ice cream.

“Fuck if you want this so much why don’t we just share?” Max suddenly blurts out. She stops squirming when she realizes what she’s just said. She feels her feet hit the ground as Chloe puts her down. She turns around and sees Chloe looking at her with an unreadable expression.

“I mean it’s pretty clear that none of us is going to give up the ice cream so we might as well just share.” Max says nervously, looking at anywhere but Chloe. She doesn’t know where she got this bravado to suddenly ask her crush to share some ice cream with her but she doesn’t care.

“Alright. Why not?”

Max looks up and she sees Chloe smiling at her with her hands shoved in her jeans.

“Wait are you cereal?” Max couldn’t believe her ears. Did Chloe just say yes?

Chloe shrugs. “If we don’t stop fighting we’ll probably get banned here and I wouldn’t want that to happen. This is the only place where I get my beer without being carded.” She says while grabbing a pack of beer from the freezer. “We can chill somewhere, you pick.”

“Oh. Okay,” Max says. “Well, c’mon.” She starts walking towards the cashier, Chloe behind her. “Do you mind if we go to my apartment? I don’t want my roommate to be alone.” She turns around and asks Chloe.

“That’s cool.” Chloe replies. “My roommate’s probably having sex with her boyfriend so my place isn’t an option.”

Max pays for the ice cream and Chloe pays for her beer. Turns out Chloe is tight with the cashier because she gives him free weed. Max and Chloe leave the store and they start walking to Max’s apartment. They’re halfway there when Max realizes she hasn’t introduced herself to Chloe.

“Oh! I’m Max by the way.”

“I know.” Chloe says with a smirk.

Max looks at Chloe and raises an eyebrow. Chloe shrugs.

“I’ve seen your pictures.”

Max stops walking. “Wait, you’ve seen my pictures?”

Chloe nods. “Yeah, at the exhibit last month?”

“Yeah,” Max replies. She remembers taking different pictures around campus and arranging them by color. She took almost a hundred pictures and it took her almost two days to make that installation. “I didn’t think anyone noticed that.” She got a good grade but she didn’t think anyone would remember it since Victoria’s installation stole the show.

“Well I did,” Chloe says, smiling at her. “It was pretty rad. I remember thinking I’d like to meet this Max Caulfield and tell her that her photos kick ass.”

Max laughs and she feels her face heat up. “Thanks.”

“Hey, you’re saving me from spending the night at my apartment’s hallway so I should be the one thanking you.”

\\\

“Max is that you?”

Max hears Kate’s voice in the kitchen when she and Chloe entered her apartment.

“Yeah it’s me.” Max shouts back. She gestures Chloe the coat rack so she could hang her jacket.

Kate walks out of the kitchen and she almost drops her mug when she saw Chloe. She looks at Max, eyes wide. Max gives her a stern look of _I’ll explain later._ Kate gives her a small nod and turns back to Chloe who luckily is preoccupied with hanging her jacket.

“Hi Chloe,” She says cheerfully, walking towards them.

Max eyes Chloe. “You two know each other?”

 “Kinda,” Chloe says. “She lets me copy her notes.” Chloe turns to Kate and holds up her beer. “Wanna beer?”

Kate looks at her watch. “I’d love to but I just realized I have to be somewhere.” Wait what? Max stares at Kate as she puts her mug down and grabs her jacket. “Have fun, you guys.” She gives Chloe a wave and winks at Max. Before Max could process what happened Kate’s out the door and she and Chloe are alone.

“Well that was weird,” Chloe said, plopping down the sofa. “I thought you said she didn’t want to be alone.”

“Yeah,” Max mumbles, making her way to their DVD shelf. “She must’ve had last minute plans.” She tries to say in her most convincing voice. “Wanna watch a movie?” She asks Chloe, holding up a random DVD.

“Blade Runner?” Chloe says with a smile. “Dude that’s my favorite movie. I like you already.”

Max feels herself blush for the nth time. She puts the DVD in the player, and sits down in the sofa next to Chloe and opens the ice cream that they bought.

\\\

She doesn’t know what time is it but it must be early morning. Max keeps her eyes closed and wraps her arms tighter around her pillow. Her brows furrow with confusion because why is her pillow so hard, and why does it smell like cigarettes and weed? Max’s eyes flashes open as she realizes that the thing she’s hugging is not a pillow but Chloe. She slowly lifts her head and sees that Chloe is still asleep. Max rubs her eyes and she tries to remember what happened last night. After watching Blade Runner Chloe suggested they have a Harry Potter marathon. Max agreed since Kate and Warren still aren’t back. She remembers falling asleep somewhere around The Prisoner of Azkaban, Chloe must’ve also fallen asleep shortly after her.

Max hears giggling and she turns her head. There on the end of the sofa are Warren and Kate. Warren is looking as smug as ever and Kate is trying so hard not to laugh. Kate motions to the kitchen and grabs Warren’s shirt, dragging him to there. Max slowly disentangles herself from Chloe’s arms and stands up. Chloe mumbles sleepily and turns around and Max couldn’t help but think at how adorable sleepy Chloe is. She makes her way to the kitchen and sees Warren sitting down and Kate by the coffee maker. Max sits down next to Warren and Kate puts a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.

“You got some explaining to do Maximus.” Warren says, still smiling smugly.

Max glares at him. “We just watched a movie and fell asleep, it’s not a big deal.”

Warren puts his arms behind his head. “Whatever you say Mad Max.”

Kate smacks his head with a newspaper and sits down in front of Max. “Leave her alone Warren. At least she finally talked to Chloe.” Kate turned to Max. “How on earth did you manage to ask Chloe to come here anyway?”

“It’s a long story,” Max mumbles taking a sip of her coffee. “I’ll explain it when I’m awake.”

The three of them quietly sip their coffee. Suddenly they hear some noises coming from the living room. Warren looks at Max smugly. “Looks like your gf is awake.”

Max rolls her eyes and stands up. She walks to the living room and sees Chloe picking up the beer bottles that were scattered in the floor. Chloe looks up when she hears Max enter.

“Dude I totally fell asleep, I’m so sorry.” Chloe says sheepishly as she puts the bottles in the coffee table.

“Hey it’s no biggie.” Max says, watching Chloe collect her things. “Are you leaving?”

“Well yeah,” Chloe mumbles. “I already overstayed it’s so embarrassing.” She makes her way to the coat rack to get her jacket.

Max looks at the kitchen and sees Warren and Kate glaring at her. “What?” Max whispers quietly. Warren points to Chloe as if to say _don’t just let her go you dumbass!_ Kate is nodding and Max realizes that they’re right. She doesn’t care if she looks clingy. She already had a good thing going here and she’ll be damned if she lets Chloe go without at least getting her number.

“Chloe,” She walks to Chloe who’s about to leave. “Do you, uhh.” Max fidgets with the hem of her shirt. Shit. She was never good at this kind of stuff. “Uhh, your roommate’s boyfriend is probably still at your apartment.” Chloe raises her eyebrow, unsure of what Max is trying to say. Max feels her face heat up and she could almost hear Warren and Kate laughing at her.

“What I mean is, uhh.” _For fucks sake Max you’re just going to ask her to have breakfast! It’s not like you’re asking her to marry you._ “DoYouWannaHaveBreakfast?” Max manages to get out in one breath.

Chloe’s eyebrows furrows together. “I don’t think I got that. I just understood breakfast.”

Max takes a deep breath. _C’mon Caulfield, you can do this_. “I meant, I know this really great café down the street and they serve the best pancakes on earth and oh god, I don’t even know If you’re a pancake person, you could be a waffle person, but they have waffles to-“ Max stops rambling when she sees Chloe laughing at her.

“What?” She says with a glare.

Chloe stops laughing and smiles at her. “If you wanna ask me to have breakfast all you gotta do was ask.”

Max sticks her tongue out and Chloe laughs again. She opens the door and gestures for Max to go out. They walk towards the elevator and Chloe suddenly speaks.

“I’m a pancake person by the way.”

“Good to know.” Max replies with a grin.

“I also like my coffee black. I like to eat candy while watching movies, I also like that small Italian restaurant by the quad.”

Max’s eyebrows furrow together. “Uhh, why are you telling me this?”

Chloe presses the elevator button and turns to Max with a sly smile. “So that you know where to take me when you ask me out.” The elevator door opens and Chloe steps inside, leaving a baffled Max behind.

“You coming, hippie?”

“As if I’m going to ask you out.” Max says playfully, stepping inside the elevator.

“We’ll see about that.” Chloe says with a laugh.

\\\

Max was right. She didn’t ask Chloe out.

It was Chloe who asked her out.


End file.
